Draft-gear carrier iron and tank-band anchor



Aug. 7. 1928.

S. F. BEASLEY DRAFT GEAR CARRIER IRON AND TANK BAND AIWHOR Filed Dec. 20, 1926 I N VEN TOR. 6. Fflea BY ATTORNEYS.

Patented Aug. 7, 1928.

UNITED STATES PATEN 1,680,003- T OFFICE.

STARLEY r. BEASLEY, or KA SAS orrY, :KAnsAs, Assrenon or one-HALF '10 FRANK E, WELLMAN, or KANSAS CITY, KAnsAs. a i a DRAFTrGELAR CARRIER IRON AND TANK-BAND ANCHOR.

Application filed December 20, 1926. Serial No. 156,039.

Thisinvention relates to draft gear constructlon and more especially to the, rear ,7 carrier iron construction thereof.

relatively short time tions thereon of the The conventional type of carrier irons are made of wrought iron of to 1 in thickness, whlch-type of carrier 11011 1s un' satisfactory because 1t becomes worn 1n a coupler yoke containing the draft gear, and bends downward and hence throws the draft gear out of alinement with the coupler. Under such conditions, carrier irons must be replaced at relatively frequent intervals as otherwise more expensive replacements becomenecesa sary.

It is common practice in tank cars to.

- utilize the ends of the rear carrier irons as til til]

points of anchorage for tank bands, and when such an iron becomes weakened by wear its tendency to bend under the weight of the yoke anddraft gear is augmented by upward pull upon the ends of the iron by the connected tank band, as in the prog ress of a car, upward movements of the tank result in the application of leverage by the hand on the ends of the iron, which up ward pull not only has a tendency to bend the iron downward at its middle but also to more quickly loosen the bolts or rivets fastening the band to the draft sills of the car if the resistance of the iron is lessened by the weakening and sagging of its central portion.

My object is to provide a rear carrier iron adapted-without undue weight-to resist bending strains due to the weight of the yoke and draft gear and the upward pull of the tank band, and provided with a replaceable leveling shoe so that in the event of appreciable wear of the latter, it can be quickly and easily replaced, the replacement of such shoe being also desirable for leveling purposes in the event the front carrier iron becomes unduly worn. A carrier iron construction of the type comprehended is irthermore desirable as it becomes a permanent part of the car and is much more economical in service and of greater strength than carrier irons of the conventional type above referred to.

With the object mentioned in View, the in vention consists in certain novel and useful features of construction and combinations of parts as hereinafter described and claimed;

under the sliding ac-- shown, the terminals being II-II of Figure 1.

Figure 3 is an enlarged top plan ,view ,of I

the carrier iron.

Figure 4; is a central tudinally thereof, a ,s l 1 Referringto the drawing inzdetail, 1 indicates a part of a car frame construction-and. 2 the center or draft sills thereof.

3 indicates the rear carrier iron, the same" being of channelled form to provide for stiffness and strength without undue weight. Formed ,on' the upper sideof the carrier iron and spaced equal distances from the longitudinal center of the car frame are pairs of spaced lugs 4:, the lugs at corresponding sides of the center being spaced apart to provide interposed openings 5. The two sets of lugs provide between them a centralizing chamber 6, and seated within said chamber n 3011 the carrier iron body is a flat plate or sioe 7 having lugs 8 engaging the openings 5 so that it shall be impossible for the shoe to slide from position, as hereinafter referred to.

To utilize the carrier iron as an anchorage, its ends are sloped downwardly as at 9 and perforated to receive the bolt terminals 10 of a band 11 for encircling the tank, not engaged at the by retaining and section taken longiQ 1 under side of the arms 9 lock nuts 12.

The draft gear 13 which may he of any suitableor preferred type as it forms no part of this invention, is indicated generally at 13, and forming a part of the draft gear is a conventional yoke 14 which rests upon the shoe 7, and is adapted in the travel and startings and stoppings of the car to slide upon said plate or shoe, the yoke forming in effect a continuation or extension of the shank 15 of the coupler, not shown. It will be apparent that when the wear on the shoe becomes suflicient to disturb the alinement between the draft gear and coupler, the shoe can be readily replaced without necessitating removal or detachment of the carrier iron, and that should the front carrier iron, not

longitudinal section shown, become materially worn so as to affect the alinement mentioned, a thicker shoe may be placed in position for the purpose of maintaining the level or alinement of the 5 draft gear and coupling.- These difficulties are encountered in practice and with the conventional type of carrier irons mentioned cannot be rectified without considerable trouble and a great deal more expense 10 than the correction canbe made where a carrier iron 'revided with a replaceable shoe, as'descri ed, is employed. It will also be apparent that by the provisionof a earrier' iron'whieh will not readily bend, the 16 leverage of the a ward pull of th band tending to loosen t e rivets or bolts mitin the carrier iron to the. sills is minimize and it is also clearthat'the use of a channelled carrier iron in conjunction with a re-- 20 plac'eable shoe enables the use. of carrier irons of lighter construction than those commonly emplo 'ed.

The back and i brth movements of the yoke on the shoe obviously cannot dislodge the 23' letter, as the said lugs 8 by engagement with the opposing lugs t hold it practically stationary, I

From the above description it will be ap arent that I'have produced a carrier iron at construction embodying the features of advantage set forth as desirable in the state'- ment of the object of the invention, and

which is susceptible of inodifitation in ininor particulars without departing from the principle of construction and mode of operation involved.

What I claim is:

1. A carrier iron provided with two sets of "upwardly projecting guide lugs, the two sets being spaced apart laterally, and the lugs of each set spaced apart longitudinally, in combination with a shoe fitting flatly on the carrier iron between the laterally spaced lugs, and provided with outwardly projectting lugs fitting in the spaces between the longitudinally spaced lugs.

2. The combination with the draft sills of a car of a carrier iron bridging the space between and secured to the lower edges of the draft sills and of longitudinally=channelled construction, the carrier iron being provided with a plurality of upstanding lugs within the channel formed between said draft sills, said lugs being arranged in two sets spaced apart laterally, and the legs of each set being spaced a art longitudinally, and a shoe fitting flatly on the carrier iron between the laterally spaced lugs, and provided with outwitrdly irejecting lugs fitting in the spaces between the longitudinally spaced lugs.

In witness whereof I hereunto aiiix iily signature.

STARLEY 11 BEASLEY. 

